Skip to main content

Primary sourceArtifact1914–1916

James Caird

1914–1916

The small lifeboat in which Shackleton and five crewmen sailed 720 nautical miles from Elephant Island to South Georgia to seek rescue.

Shackleton owned and sailed this boat on the rescue voyage that became the climax of his survival story.

Ask Ernest Shackleton about this sourceView the original(opens in new tab)
Black and white photo of men in dark clothing pushing and hauling a wooden open boat with a mast through rough surf onto or off a rocky shore. Ice-covered rocks and an overcast sky are behind them.
Launch of the James Caird from the shore of Elephant Island, 1916. Dulwich College.

About this source

What it is

The James Caird was one of the lifeboats carried aboard Endurance, about seven metres long. After the ship was lost, Shackleton and five companions used it to make an open-sea voyage from Elephant Island to South Georgia to find help for the rest of the stranded crew. The boat is now held at Dulwich College.

Why it matters

This voyage, made in a small open boat across some of the roughest seas in the world, is one of the most celebrated feats of seamanship and endurance in polar exploration. It shows the desperate measures Shackleton and his men took to save their stranded companions, and the risks the whole crew depended on for survival.

Look closer

  • What does the photograph of men hauling the boat through surf tell you about the conditions they faced?
  • Why do you think Shackleton chose to risk this journey rather than wait for rescue?
  • What does the boat's small size suggest about the danger of the voyage?

This artifact is part of the curated material that grounds the AI version of Ernest Shackleton on Humy.ai — when students ask about related events, the AI can quote it and cite it.

More Ernest Shackleton sources

Meet the AI Ernest Shackleton →
Front cover of the book South by Shackleton. Dark navy cloth with a silver line-drawing of a three-masted ship with rigging, breaking through waves, above the title SOUTH and author name SHACKLETON in silver capital letters.Book

Primary source

South

Ernest Shackleton · 1919

Black-and-white night photograph of a three-masted wooden ship with rigging frosted white, tilted in pack ice on a snowy, broken-ice surface, lit by flash against a dark sky.Photograph

Primary source

Shackleton's Ship Endurance Illuminated, Weddell Sea, Antarctica, 1915

Frank Hurley · 1915

Interview

Primary source

My South Polar Expedition

Ernest Shackleton · 30 March 1910 (recorded); July 1910 (released)

Book

Primary source

The Heart of the Antarctic

Ernest Shackleton · 1909

Sepia-toned studio portrait of a man with dark hair parted in the middle, wearing a dark suit, white collared shirt, and polka-dot tie, facing the camera. Handwritten signature and date 1909 appear at lower right.Photograph

Primary source

Ernest Shackleton Studio Portrait

George Charles Beresford · 1909

Ready when you are

Start chatting with Ernest Shackleton now.

20 messages free · No credit card · Available in 50+ languages.

Trial Humy for freeGet a quote for institutions